Removable Shoe Cover

ABSTRACT

The shoe cover of the present invention provides protection from hot materials falling onto a shoe during work activities. Welding, and other industrial activities, can lead to molten material or sparks damaging the shoe and may lead to workplace injury. The shoe cover of the present invention provides convenient, attractive and comfortable protection from this workplace hazard. The present invention comprises a heat resistant sheet of material that is easily attached and removed from the shoe. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention utilizes a hook that attaches to a lace at the toe end of the shoe and clips to the shoe at the heel end. The shoe cover of the present invention can be molded to conform to the shape of the shoe, thereby providing additional protective coverage and limiting the possibility of snagging or shifting during work activities.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application of Ronald Johnson, Ser. No. 61,778,463 filed 13 Mar. 2013, having the title REMOVABLE SHOELACE GUARDS, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a protective device for industrial workers. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a device designed to protect the shoes, shoelaces and feet of industrial workers from hot material that may fall on a shoe during industrial activities.

2. Description of the Related Art

An industrial work environment where hot materials are generated, such as during welding, grinding, or cutting, involves a risk of hot material falling on a workers shoe. When hot materials contact the shoe, damage to the shoe or shoelace may result. Damage to the shoe or shoelace can lead to tripping on a lace or an improperly secured shoe, which may in turn lead to accidents and injuries in the workplace. A worker may be reluctant to use a protective device on the shoe, however, due to the inconvenience of attaching or removing the device, or to discomfort and the aesthetic appearance of the shoe while wearing the device.

The related art includes a number of devices that protect shoes and shoelaces. U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,342 discloses a shoe tongue cover for use during industrial work activities. The '342 device covers the top of the shoe and attaches to the shoe with a hook and loop, VELCRO-type fastener, and also requires that the laces be fed through eyelets in the device. The method of attachment for the '342 device is therefore time consuming and requires considerable dexterity. United States Patent Application with publication number 20130081308 is an industrial workplace shoe cover. The '308 application discloses an adjustable tongue feature, which extends protection in the tongue region of the shoe, and attaches to the shoe through slits through which a lace passes. The '308 application further discloses a snap for attaching the top of the shoe to the lace. The methods of attachment for the '308 device are inconvenient, and further, the device does not mold to conform to the top of each individual shoe.

Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure describes a removable shoe cover that protects a shoe and shoelaces from hot material generated during industrial work activity. The shoe cover of the present disclosure is generally shaped to conform to the upper of the shoe where the laces are located. The shoe cover of the present disclosure is convenient to use and can be molded to the shoe of each individual user, providing protection to the top surface area of the shoe. The shoe cover of the present disclosure is formed from a durable material such as leather or similar material, which provides an appropriate combination of strength and flexibility for the user. The material will be strong enough to protect the area from molten metal or other hot material that could potentially fall on a shoe during industrial operations.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention attaches at two points on the shoe, the first proximate to the toe end of the shoe and the second proximate to the heel end of the shoe. In one embodiment, a hook is fastened underneath the protective sheet of the shoe cover. When the shoe cover is in use, the hook is removably attached to a lace at the toe end of the shoe. Toward the heel end, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has a clip fastened underneath the protective sheet for removably attaching the shoe cover to the lace proximate to the heel end.

The present disclosure also describes a means of molding the sheet to conform to the upper of the shoe. In one embodiment, strips of pliable metal are attached to the underside of the sheet facing the laces. The metal is fastened such that the shoe cover may be easily molded.

The shoe cover provides protection along with convenience.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the disclosure to describe a protective shoe cover that is easily attached and removed.

It is another object of the present disclosure to describe a protective shoe cover moldable to a user's foot, thereby providing maximum coverage for different shoe sizes.

It is a further object of the present disclosure to describe a shoe cover that can be molded to fit a shoe, thereby maximizing coverage area for the shoe.

It is still a further object of the present disclosure to describe an inexpensive, durable, and convenient means of protecting a shoe that accomplishes the purposes intended as described above.

These and other objects of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one embodiment of the present invention and, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the shoe cover of the present invention fully attached to a shoe.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the front face of the shoe cover of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the back face of the shoe cover of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view the shoe cover of FIG. 1 partially attached to the shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure describes a removable protective covering for a shoe having a shoelace. The removable shoe cover described in the present disclosure protects the shoe, the lace and the foot from hot material which may fall during industrial work activity. The shoe cover can be molded to the shoe of each individual wearer, thereby providing additional protection to the upper surface of the shoe, as well as additional comfort and aesthetics. The shoe cover of the present disclosure is formed from a durable material such as leather or similar material, which provides an appropriate combination of strength and flexibility for industrial protective wear.

FIG. 1 illustrates a removable shoe cover 10 attached to a shoe 100 of an industrial worker. The shoe has a toe end 104 and a heel end 106. The shoe cover 10 is generally comprised of a sheet 18 of tough, flexible and resilient material such as leather, and generally shaped to cover the upper of the worker's shoe 100, which includes a lace 102 and tongue. It should be appreciated that other suitable materials, other than leather like materials can be used in the manufacture of removable shoe cover 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates a topside of the shoe cover 10. The sheet 18 has a first end 12 and a second end 14. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second end 14 of the shoe cover 10 is linear, as illustrated in FIG. 2, where the linear aspect of the shoe cover 10 is perpendicular to the direction of a line drawn from the second end 14 to the first end 12. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first end 12 of shoe cover 10 is curved to generally match the shape of the toe end 104 of the shoe 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates the underside of shoe cover 10. The first end 12 of shoe cover 10 attaches to the shoe 100 by means of a hook 20. The second end 14 of shoe cover 10 attaches to the shoe 100 by means of a clip 16. FIG. 3 shows the underside of the shoe cover 10 with the hook 20 fastened to the sheet 18 adjacent to the first end 12 of shoe cover 10. The hook 20 has a bend and a gap, as is known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The bend is defined as the curved portion of the hook. The gap is defined as the space between the end of the hook and the shaft, or straight portion, of the hook.

In a preferred embodiment, the hook 20 is formed by shaping metal strip 22 at the first end 12 of shoe cover 10. In a preferred embodiment, the bend of hook 20 is curved toward the underside of the sheet 18, as depicted in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The hook 20 attaches to the lace 102 where said lace 102 passes between a pair of eyelets of the shoe 100 closest to the toe end 104.

FIG. 4 illustrates the hook 20 attached to the lace 102. To attach the hook 20, the sheet 18 is flexed, thereby exposing the hook 20. The hook 20 slides under the lace 102 proximate to the toe end 104 of the shoe 100 and is then pulled toward the heel end 106 of shoe 100 to secure the hook 20 to lace 102. Here, the lace 102 passes through the gap and is enclosed by and in contact with the bend in the hook 20. The sheet 18 is then released, thereby coming into contact with the shoe 100.

Once the hook 20 is in place, the clip 16, proximate to the second end 14 of the shoe cover 10, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is clasped to the lace 102. The clip 16 is fastened to the underside of the sheet 18 by a rivet 38, best seen in FIG. 3, which connects the metal strip 22 and the clip 16 to the sheet 18. Metal strip 22 is attached to the sheet 18 by an additional rivet 36 adjacent to the hook 20.

The clip 16 is attached to the underside of the sheet 18 adjacent to the second end 14 of the shoe cover 10. The clip may is attached by a piece of elastic, or other fabric, such that rivet 38 secures the clip to the sheet 18. The clip 16 is positioned so as to clasp the lace 102 of the shoe 100 in the location generally surrounding the lace 102 proximate to the heel end 106 of shoe 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The lace 102 is clasped by the clip 16 to secure the second end 14 of the shoe cover 10 to the shoe 100. Once the clip 16 is clasped to the lace 102, the hook 20 is prevented from releasing the lace 102, thereby securing both the first end 12 of the shoe cover 10 and the second end 14 of the shoe cover 10.

Once secured, the shoe cover 10 can be molded to the upper of the shoe 100. Pliability that would allow for molding could be accomplished by a number of means, including, but not limited to, fastening of a pliable material to a sheet 18 through the use of adhesives or rivets, manufacturing the sheet 18 from a pliable material, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art, and coating, or treating, the sheet 18 with a pliable substance such as plastic or metal.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, molding is accomplished by bending metal strip 22, fastened to the sheet 18 by rivets 36 and 38, and metal strip 24, which is fastened to the shoe cover 10 by rivets 32 and 34. Metal strip 22 and metal strip 24, illustrated in FIG. 3, are manufactured from a pliable material that holds its shape once bent; as would be known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Metal strip 24 is located beneath, and perpendicular to, metal strip 22. Metal strip 24 extends to the edges of each side of shoe cover 10 and is positioned between rivets 36 and 38 toward the second end 14 of shoe cover 10.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

What is claimed is: 1) A removable protective shoe cover sized to cover a substantial portion of an upper of a shoe, wherein the shoe comprises a sole, a tongue and an upper having a toe end and a heel end, wherein said upper has a lace and a multiplicity of eyelets configured to accommodate the lace, the shoe cover comprising: a sheet of heat resistant material having an underside and a topside; a first releasable fastening element secured to the underside of the sheet for detachably securing a first end of the sheet to the shoe; and a second releasable fastening element secured to the underside of the sheet for detachably securing a second end of the sheet to the shoe. 2) The shoe cover of claim 1 wherein the first releasable fastening element attaches to the lace. 3) The shoe cover of claim 2 wherein the first releasable fastening element attaches between a pair of eyelets proximate to the toe end of the shoe. 4) The shoe cover of claim 3 wherein the first releasable fastening element is a hook having a gap and a bend. 5) The shoe cover of claim 4 wherein said gap is proximate to the underside of the sheet such that when the first end of the sheet is flexed upward the hook is passed under the lace then pulled in the direction of the heel end of the shoe, such that the lace passes through the gap and engages the hook by contacting the bend. 6) The shoe cover of claim 5 wherein said hook is formed from a first strip parallel to an axis from the toe end of the shoe to the heel end of the shoe. 7) The shoe cover of claim 6 wherein said first strip is a first pliable strip formed from a pliable material. 8) The shoe cover of claim 7, wherein a second pliable strip is generally perpendicular to an axis from a first side of the shoe to a second side of the shoe and is attached to the underside of the sheet. 9) The shoe cover of claim 8 wherein the second releasable fastening element is a clip. 10) The shoe cover of claim 9 wherein the clip attaches to the lace. 11) The shoe cover of claim 3 wherein said sheet is formed of pliable material so as to conform to the shape of the shoe. 12) The shoe cover of claim 3 wherein said sheet is formed of a flexible, tough material. 13) The shoe cover of claim 12 wherein said sheet is formed of leather. 14) The shoe cover of claim 12 wherein said sheet is attached to, treated with, or coated with a pliable material or material that otherwise induces pliability, thereby allowing the sheet to be molded to the upper of the shoe. 15) The shoe cover of claim 3 wherein the sheet is of a generally rectangular shape. 16) A removable protective shoe cover sized to cover a substantial portion of a top of a shoe, wherein the shoe comprises a sole, a tongue and an upper having a toe end and a heel end, wherein said upper has a lace and a multiplicity of eyelets configured to accommodate the lace, the shoe cover comprising: a sheet of heat resistant material having an underside and a topside, sized and shaped to generally cover the upper of the shoe; a first releasable element attached the underside of the first end of the sheet for detachably securing a first end of the sheet to the lace wherein said lace passes between a pair of eyelets proximate to the toe end of the shoe; a first strip, generally parallel to an axis drawn from the toe end of the shoe to the heel end of the shoe, attached to the underside of the sheet; a second releasable fastening element secured to the underside of the sheet for detachably securing a second end of the sheet to the shoe, wherein said second releasable element is attached to the first strip at the heel end of the shoe; and a second strip, generally perpendicular to an axis drawn from a first side of the shoe to a second side of the shoe, formed from pliable material and attached to the underside of the sheet. 17) The shoe cover of claim 16 wherein the first releasable element is a hook having a gap and a bend. 18) The shoe cover of claim 17 wherein said gap is proximate to the underside of the sheet such that when the first end of the sheet is flexed upward the hook is passed under the lace then pulled in the direction of the heel end of the shoe, such that the lace passes through the gap and engages the hook by contacting the bend. 19) The shoe cover of claim 18 wherein said hook is formed by shaping the first strip into a hook at the toe end of the shoe. 20) The shoe cover of claim 19 wherein a material is applied to the sheet to induce pliability, thereby allowing the sheet to be molded to the upper of the shoe. 